Apparatus for forming and locking can body side seams



Aug. 3@, 194 E. LAXO APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE SEAMS '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 m/ van/fan 0 LAXO ug 3% 1 E. LAXO 2,480,190

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE SEAMS 7 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 76 7f 72 mu m 7/ 74 78 70 J 7a 77 I] f 9/ 90 4 ///k/ \i 7/57 k i 3 p 46 g I02 INVENTOR E0 LAXO A. A7 roe/vars Aug. 30, 1949; E. LAXO APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE SEAMS 7 Shets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 R m O X VA NL D E m ww A T TORNEVS Aug. 30, 1949. X

APPARATUS FOR FORMIN CAN BODY SIDE G AND LOCKING SEAMS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 INVENTOR ED LAXO WWW A? TORNEVS Aug. 3@, 3%. E, LAXO APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE SEAMS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 mvsu ran 50 L A xq AT ron/vtrs Amigo w, 3949. E. LAXO fl l APPARATUS FOR FORMING LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE S 5 Filed Dec. 24, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 K v v l .m a I i? ve/vme 01 gmunmu unuuuuu 1 GUUHB'HHHHHHHHW E A X0 ATTORNEYS Aug, 3%, W49. E. LAXO M M APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND LOCKING CAN BODY SIDE SEAMS Filed D30. 24, 1946 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 //v l/EN TOR ED L A X0 3? A 7" T'OR/VE VS 3 The horn or mandrel has a longitudinally extending inclined slot 32 containing an edger tool 33 having an upper face 34 and a side groove 35. This tool is movable between an upper and lower position in the slot 32 in accordance with the position of the oscillatable shaft 25 which has a lengthwise notch or channel 36, which can be retained in an upward position, as disclosed in Fig. 2, holding the edger tool 33 in an upper position, or which may be oscillated in a clockwise direction to bring its notch 36 into conformity with the slot 32 and allow the edger tool 33 to move downwardly. The upper portion of the mandrel 26 also carries a longitudinally extending spline piece 31 adjacent the edger piece 33, which also has an upper face 38 and side groove 39.

The upper tools are supported primarily by a block or crosshead 49 movable upwardly and downwardly to and from the forming tools in the mandrel 26. The lower end of the crosshead carries an inclined bumper steel 4| having a bottom face 42 disposed in a horizontal plane and it also carries a rectangular slidable supporting bar 43 having an outer hook forming tool 44 secured thereto, which terminates in a lower tongue 45 whose bottom face is in alignment with the bottom face of the bumper member M. A plurality of spaced keeper plates 46 are secured to the lower portion of the crosshead 46 by suitable cap screws 41 extending through slots 48 in the slidable bar and through spacers 49 for threaded reception in the crosshead. These cap screws are tightened to secure the keeper plates 46 to the crosshead 49, the spacers 49 preventing clamping of the supporting bar 43 whose slidability between the keeper plates 46 and the inclined face 56 of the crosshead is unimpaired.

An inner hook-forming tool is carried between the slidable bar 43 and keeper plates 46. This tool is of general L-shape in cross-section, having its short leg disposed horizontally and its long leg slidable to a slight extent along the supporting bar 43 The L-shaped member 5i is urged in a downward direction b a plurality of helical springs 52 whose upper ends engage the keeper plates 46 and whose lower ends engage the long leg of the hook-forming tool, urging the latter downwardly to a position limited by engagement of its lip 53 with a corresponding shoulder 54 formed in the slidable bar 43, the lip be ing movable within a recess 55 in the bar extending upwardly from its shoulder 54. It is to be noted that the short leg of the hook-formin 1 tool 5! is spaced downwardly a slight distance from the lower end of the slidable bar 43 to allow upward movement of the tool 5| to a limited extent against the force exerted by the springs 52.

The slidable bar 43 is reciprocated by a cam lever and linkage mechanism. Specifically, this mechanism includes a pair of spaced supporting blocks 56 located between the keeper plates 46 and secured to the slidable bar by cap screws 51. Each block has a pair of spaced ears 56 containing a pivot pin 59 on which the lower end of a link 60 is oscillatably mounted between the ears. The upper ends of the links are rotatable on the eccentric portions 6| of pins or studs,

whose shaft portions 62 are clamped in the ends of spaced lever arms 63 integral with a common hub 64 rotatable upon a shaft 65 extending between and secured in the intermediate bosses 66, in the vertical column I and depending frame 4 section l3. Clamping of each lower lever arm 63 to the shaft portion 62 of the eccentric stud is effected by a screw 61 extending through the cars 68 forming a split extremity of the arm 63.

The lower arms 63 and hub 64 form part of a rocker or bell crank lever having a single upwardly extending arm 69integral with the hub whose upper portion 16 is bifurcated to support a pin H rotatably mounting a cam follower roller 12 adapted to bear against a cooper-able cam 73 fixed to the main drive shaft H. The roller 12 is urged into engagement with the cam F3 by a suitable spring 14, one end of which is secured to a lever arm extension 15 and its other end to an eye bolt 16 extending through a depending frame member 11 and having a nut 18 threaded thereon bearing against the frame member. Inward movement of the upper bell crank lever arm 69 is limited by a headless screw 19 threadedly extending through a lever boss 86 and engaging a pad 81 on the frame 10. The screw 19 is locked in adjusted position by suitable lock nut 82 threaded thereon and engaging the boss 89.

It is apparent that as the drive shaft ll rotates, the bell crank lever 69, 64, 63 is rocked upon its supporting shaft 65 to move the links 69 and slidable bar 43 downwardly and upwardly with respect to and between the crosshead 46 and its keeper plates 46.

The block or crosshead 46 is mounted for movement to and from the forming horn or mandrel 26 of the machine. Spaced pivot pins 83 are secured to the block and on which the inner ends of lower links 64 are oscillatably mounted, their outer ends being secured to a common hub 85 oscillatable about a shaft 86 supported in and extending between the lower bosses Bl, l6 in the vertical column II, and the depending frame section I3. As shown in Fig. 6, the ends 68 of the link supporting shaft 86 are eccentric with respect to the main central portion carrying the hub 85 to allow for adjustment of the oscillatable axis of the outer ends of the links 84. The shaft is turnable in the bosses I6, 81 to appropriate position and are then secured in such position by suitable set screws 89 threaded into the bosses I6, 81 and engaging the shaft ends 88. Upstanding crosshead arms 99 also carry spaced pivot pins 9| on which the inner ends of upper links 92 are oscillatable, their outer ends being rockable upon the outer portions of the intermediate shaft 65 between the ends of the bell crank lever hub 64 and the bosses I5, 66.

The upper and lower links 92, 84 are substantially horizontal and parallel to one another, with the intermediate shaft 65, about which the upper links 92 are oscillatable, being disposed a greater distance outwardly than the lower shaft 86, on which the lower links 84 are oscillatable. The lower links, however, are slightly longer than the upper links, the arrangement, proportion of the parts, and disposition of the pivot points 65, 9|, 66, 83 through the links being such that the lower end of the crosshead 46 moves to and from the mandrel 26 in substantially a straight line, rather than arcuately, particularly upon engagement of the crosshead 46 with the sheet metal of a can body C disposed between it and the mandrel.

During part of the downward movement of the crosshead 40, the link 92 moves its upper end in a different transverse direction than the lower link 84 moves its lower end. By referring to Fig. 2, it will be noticed that the axes of shaft 65 and pivot 9| lie in a common horizontal plane when a clutch control mechanism 23 now to be described.

The clutch includes an inner driven clutch member I62 keyed on the outer end of the main drive shaft I1 and having a central portion provided with a pair of diametrically opposed recesses or pockets I63 adapted to receive pawl blades I64 attached to trunnion shafts I65 extending through opposed bearing flanges I66 secured to the driving clutch member pulley I61, with their hub portions I68 rotatably mounted on bearing bushings I69 encompassing the end extension portions I18 of the driven clutch member I62. A suitable retainer collar I1I is disposed on the end of the drive shaft, through which a set screw I12 extends into engagement with the shaft I1 to prevent endwise movement of the operating clutch parts.

The driving clutch member I61 is in the form of a pulley having a V-shaped groove I13 in which a V-belt I14 runs, the belt being connected to a suitable prime mover mechanism (not shown) adapted to drive the pulley I61 at the appropriate and desired rate of speed. It is to be noted that the rim I of the pulley is shaped in the fashion of a handwheel in order to permit its ready grasping by the operator and turned I in either direction, as conditions require.

Each pawl shaft I65 extends outwardly from the inner bearing flange I66 and has a pawl arm I16 keyed thereto extending in the direction of rotation of the pulley. Each arm has a cam follower roller I11 on its free end adapted to engage a cam I18, having diametrically opposed cam lobes I19, which is non-rotatably mounted on the shaft I1 and movable axially thereon by a yoke I80 secured to it by set screws I8I received within a peripheral groove I82 in the cam hub I83 and adapted to be tightened thereagainst, to permit angular adjustment of the cam I18 on the shaft I1 and the obtaining of proper engagement and disengagement of the pawl blades I64 with the driven clutch member I62.

An arm I84 of the yoke is fastened to a slidable clutch control shaft I85, mounted in suitable bearing bosses I86 at the rear of the vertical frame column II. This shaft I85 and the attached yoke I80 and cam I18 are urged toward the pawl arms I16, to prevent engagement of the clutch, by a return spring I81 encircling the shaft and bearing against one of the shaft bearings I86 and against a collar I88 aflixed to the shaft. This collar has a depending lug I89 engaged by a latch lever I90 pivotally mounted on a pin I9I secured to the upper arm I92 of a rocker or bell crank I93 oscillatable on a stud I94 fixed to the machine frame I0. The other arm I95 of the bell crank is pivoted to the upper end of the foot treadle operated rod or link I59. The latch I90 is urged in an upward direction to permit its engagement with the collar lug I89 by a helical spring I96 disposed within a socket I91 in the bell crank lever I93 and bearing against the latch lever I90.

Engagement or disengagement of the latch lever I90 with the collar lug I89 is determined by the end of the latch lever I90.

9. pin or cap screw I98 extending from the face of the shaft oscillating cam I38. This cap screw I98 is adapted to engage the end of a trip lever I99 secured to one end of a shaft 200 oscillatable in a boss I in the machine frame, the other end of the shaft being attached to another lever 202 whose finger 203 is engageable with a, pin 204 on The finger 203 extends generally horizontally, as does the latch lever I90, and is of sufficient extent to prevent the pin 204 from moving out of engagement with the finger upon longitudinal movement of the latch lever I90 in response to rocking of the bell crank I93 on its pivot I94.

In operating and controlling the clutch, the foot pedal (not shown) is depressed to move the link I59 downwardly, rocking the bell crank I93 on its pivot and moving the latch lever I90 to the left, as seen in Fig. 13, which shifts the slidable clutch shaft I85 to the left against the force of the return spring I81. Such action also carries the yoke I80 and cam I18 to the left, moving the cam I18 out of engagement with the pawl levers and rollers I16, I11 and permitting springs 205 carried by the driving clutch member I61 and engaging the pawl blades I64 to force the latter inwardly into the recesses I63 in the driven clutch member I62 and enabling the pawl ends IBM to engage the transverse faces 206 in the driven clutch member recesses, effecting a driving connection between the driving and driven clutch members. Rotation of the pulley I61 is now transmitted to the driven clutch member I62 and to the main drive shaft I1, causing the machine to undergo its operating cycle.

With a can body C disposed on the mandrel 26 and its adjacent edges positioned between and against the tools 33, 5|, the end cam I05 moves its cooperable elements to support the cap end of the mandrel 26, as described above, and the other cam 13, 93, I38 effect sliding of the rectangular bar 43, movement of the crosshead 40 and oscillation of the shaft 25, to form and flatten the can body side seam, all in proper timed relation and in a known manner, the mandrel support I22 then being removed to permit withdrawal of the seamed can body. At the proper time durin rotation of the cam I38, its cap screw I98 engages the trip lever I99 to rotate the shaft 298 a partial revolution and move the finger 263 on the other lever 202 down against the pin 204 on the end of the latch I90, shifting the latch downwardly out of engagement with the collar lug I89, which releases the spring I81 and permits it to shift the shaft I85, together with its attached yoke I80 and clutch release cam I18, to the right (as seen in Fig. 13) to a position in which the cam lobes I19 engage the pawl levers I16 and hold the pawls I64 from engaging in the recesses I63 in the driven clutch member I62, thereby freeing the driven clutch member from driving relation with the driving clutch member I61, and allowing the shaft I1 to be stopped upon engagement of the brake segment I26 on the cam track disk I05 with the brake shoe I29.

The automatic release of the clutch occurs at a proper timed sequence depending upon the position of the cap screw I98 in the face of the oscillatable shaft cam I38. The mechanism cannot be operated again unless the foot pedal (not shown) is first released to permit the link I59 to be elevated by a spring (not shown), which moves the latch lever I98 to a, position in which it can again engage the face of the collar lug I89. Such ,9 elevation of the link I59 also engages the collar I58 with the lever I5] to release the latch 152 from the shaft oscillating lever-I d allow the spring I46 to return the shaft fito its initial position. v 7

It is to be noted that the cam lobes I19 on the clutch releasing cam I18 are so disposed with respect to the ends of the pawl-arms I16 and the pawl blades I64 that the pawl arm followers I'll ride upuponthe cam lobes I 19 tokeep the blades from the pockets I 63 in the driven clutch member I62, whenever the pawls iftwould otherwise be in position to be moved into such pockets by their springs 265. In between the cam lobes I- 'I S'Q the lower cam surfaces IIila' permit inward movement of the pawl arms I16 and blades I64, but in such position the blades are engaging the circular peripheral portions of the driven clutch member I 62 between the pockets I 63, which is a non-driving position. However, before the blades I64 can move into the pockets I63 with their ends I64a in engagement with the pocket faces 206, the cam follower rollers I'I'l ride upon the high cam lobes I19 and shift the blades I64 outwardly completely from the pockets.

The entire mechanism may be adjusted very readily. Movement of the rectangular sliding supporting bar 43 may be properly arranged by turning of the eccentric studs 6!, 62 mounted in the outer ends of the lever arms 63. Similarly, appropriate disposition of the crosshead 40 may be obtained by appropriately turning the eccentric shaft 86 on which the outer ends of the lower links 84 are mounted. Since the crosshead does not slide in guides or ways, its adjustment can be readily effected in the manner described.

The provision of the enlarged boss III on the depending frame section I3, together with the large bearing plug I9, enables the entire shaft I! to be removed endwise from the frame l6 without dismantling the cams I3, 63 therefrom, with the exception of brake disk I65. Upon the removal of this disk I65 and yoke III, of the shaft H, the plug l9, and all of the cams 13, 93 within the machine can be moved endwise as a unit and without disturbing the relative angular positions of the cams I3, 93 upon the shaft II. However, the clutch mechanism 23 externally of the vertical frame column I I must be first removed.

The novel features described herein relating to the clutch and clutch control mechanism 23 are both described and claimed in my copending application executed on December 17, 1946, entitled Clutch mechanism, filed December 24, 1946, Serial No. 718,213, while the mechanism for braking the shaft if and for supporting the mandrel 26 are both described and claimed in my application executed on December 17, 1946, entitled Mandrel support and brake for can body forming machine, filed December 24, 1946, Serial No. 718,215. Simiilarly, the mechanism for oscillating the mandrel shaft 25 is described and claimed in my application executed on December 17, 1946, entitled Can body side seam forming apparatus, filed December 24, 1946, Serial No. 718,214, now Patent No. 2,465,239.

While I have described a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, including a frame, a can body supporting mandrel "se'cure'dtotsaidframe'andon which the outer ends of said'ilinks are os'cillatably mounted, a :tool supporting bar 'slidablein'said crosshead. means for reciprocating said bar in said crosshead comprising a lever oscillatably mounted on one of said shafts, and means for moving said crosshead to and from said mandrel toqeifect formation of a side seam on a'can body.

2. Apparatus of the character described, including-a frame, acan body Supporting mandrel secured to said frame, a movable crosshead, .upner and iower supporting links having their inner ends pivotally connected to said crosshead, upper and lower shafts secured to said frame and on which the outer ends of said upper and lower links are oscillatably mounted, respectively, a tool supporting bar in said crosshead, means for reciprocating said bar in said crosshead comprising a lever oscillatably mounted on said upper shaft and a connecting rod secured to said lever and bar, and means for moving said crosshead to and from said mandrel to effect formation of a side seam on a can body.

3. Apparatus of the character described, including a frame, spaced bearing supports in said frame, a can body supporting mandrel carried by said frame, a crosshead, means mounting said crosshead for movement to and from said mandrel to effect formation of a side seam on a can body, a tool supporting bar in said crosshead, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing supports, means including a cam fixed to said drive shaft for shifting said crosshead toward said mandrel, means including a cam fixed to said drive shaft for sliding said bar in said crosshead, one of said bearing supports being mounted within an opening in said frame whose transverse distance is greater than the transverse distance across said cams, to allow said drive shaft and cams to be removed as a unit through said opening.

4. in a can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel having an edger tool, a crosshead, a hook forming tool carried by and reciprocable in said crosshead, means to reciprocate said hook forming tool in said crosshead, and means for moving said crosshead to and from said mandrel to form can body side seams, the improvement which comprises upper link means and lower link means, each pivotally supported at one end by said frame and pivotally supporting said crosshead at its other end, said pivotal connections being so displaced and the relative lengths of the links being such as to cause the last increment of movement of said crosshead before and during seam formation to be in a straight line perpendicular to the mandrel.

5. A can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel having an edger tool, a crosshead, a hook forming tool carried by and reciprocable in said crosshead, means to reciprocate said hook forming tool in said crosshead, upper and lower parallel guide links pivotally supported at one end by said frame and pivotally supporting said crosshead at other end, said guide links being such as to guide said crosshead in straight line movement perpendicular to said mandrel during its last increment of movement toward the mandrel, and means acting on said crosshead independently of said guide links for actuating said crosshead.

6. A can body side seam forming machine comprising a frame, a mandrel having an edger tool,

a crosshead, a hook forming tool carried by and reciprocable in said crosshead, means to reciprocate said hook forming tool in said crosshead, upper and lower parallel guide links pivotally supported at one end by said frame and pivotally supporting said crosshead at other end, said guide links being such as to guide said crosshead in straight line movement perpendicular to said mandrel during its last increment of movement toward the mandrel, a cam acting on said crosshead independently of said guide links for moving the crosshead toward the mandrel and resilient means for moving said crosshead away from the mandrel.

ED LAXO.

12 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Seaholm Mar. 31, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Dec. 2, 1892 

